What are some fun facts about Africa for kids?

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Quick Answer

The continent of Africa features a number of fun facts, such as it is the second largest continent in the world. It contains the second largest population per continent, and it is the oldest populated continent. The continent also features the largest reserves of gold and platinum.

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Before the colonization of Africa by foreign powers in the 19th century, the continent featured over 10,000 states and groups, each with their own language and traditions. During the colonization, the entire continent came under the rule of foreign countries except for Libya and Ethiopia. The continent features over 2,000 different languages spoken, including Arabic, Swahili, English, French and Berber.

The continent is the world's poorest and has a very poor literacy rate. Only 40 percent of all adults on the continent are literate, while the countries of Chad, Mali, Ethiopia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have below 50 percent literacy rates.

Africa is the hottest continent in the world and the second driest continent, behind only Australia. The Sahara desert, the world's largest desert sits in the northern part of the continent. This desert is larger that the entire continental United States. The rainfall on the continent varies from almost 0.0 millimeters per year in the Sahara to over 9,500 millimeters around Mount Cameroon.